Brotherhood of the Red Moon
by Akatsuki210
Summary: The organization known as Akatsuki is shrouded in mystery. But behind that veil of secrets, there are nine unique individuals.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto or any of its characters. 

**Warning: **This story contains spoilers for those who don't read the manga.

**Note:** I'm intending to structure this story as a series of one-shots, with each chapter focusing on a different Akatsuki member. There should be 10 chapters in all, since I'm planning to do chapters for both Sasori and his replacement Tobi. The individual chapters take place at different points in the storyline—some will tell about the members' pasts before they joined, and others will be pretty close to the current point in the manga. The story overall is rated T for safety, just because I'm not exactly sure yet what the content of all the chapter will be (but there shouldn't be anything M-worthy). First up: the mysterious Leader.

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Brotherhood of the Red Moon Chapter 1: In the Beginning 

Kimura Hidoshi, leader of the Hidden Village of Grass, paced back and forth in his tent. Outside, shouts and the sound of explosions were a testament to the battle that raged between Grass and Stone. Hidoshi massaged his temples, trying to get rid of a nagging headache.

At that moment, the flap covering the door of the tent was pushed aside, and a terrified-looking chuunin rushed in. "Kusakage-sama, the Stone shinobi have broken through our western perimeter!"

Hidoshi sighed and turned to the table that took up most of the tent. Stretched out on it was a map of the battlefield, with the positions of the Grass battalions marked in green and those of the Stone ninjas in brown. Hidoshi scrutinized the map for a moment and then said, "Have Rear Battalions 1,3, and 6 move up to engage the Stone ninjas. Try to encircle them with our own forces."

"Yes, sir!" The chuunin dashed out again.

Hidoshi barely had time to draw a breath before an ANBU member entered the tent. "Kusakage-sama, our advance scouts are reporting that the area surrounding Enemy Camp #12 is full of traps and genjutsu. They don't think they'll be able to get through without being detected."

"Did they send a report on exactly what kind of traps and genjutsu are set up in the area?"

"Yes, sir." The ANBU kunoichi handed him a scroll, which he quickly untied and read. At the bottom, he added instructions on how to defeat the enemy defenses. "Take this to the scouts immediately."

"Yes, sir!"

Hidoshi went back to massaging his temples. The war with Stone was difficult, as the two forces were evenly matched. But it wasn't the stress of fighting a war that was grating on Hidoshi's nerves. What was bothering him was the sheer _weakness_ of most of the shinobi under his command. Take the traps and genjutsu the advance scouts had complained about, for example. It had taken him about 10 seconds and 2 brain cells to figure out a way to undermine those defenses. His advance scouts, on the other hand—supposedly among the best shinobi in the Grass Village—were completely at a loss. The soldiers on the western perimeter were struggling to subdue a mere 4 battalions of Stone ninjas—Hidoshi could probably defeat that many without breaking a sweat. And the civilians were even worse. They couldn't defend themselves at all. A few petty bandits showed up, and they were running to the shinobi for help. _I became Kage to lead a nation, not protect a bunch of weaklings who couldn't fight their way out of a paper bag!_

"Kusakage-sama?"

Hidoshi gritted his teeth and narrowly avoided shouting at the nervous, trembling young genin who stood before him. "Yes?"

"Sir, Shi-san has killed all the Stone shinobi who penetrated through the western perimeter."

"Good. Tell her to focus her attention on the ninjas assaulting the southern perimeter next. If they get through, it will put several of the farming villages at risk of destruction." _Thank Kami-sama, at least I have one competent subordinate._

Of course, Nakamura Shi was a bit more than simply competent. She was a jinchuuriki, the container of the seven-tailed demon Suzaku. As such, she was vastly more powerful than any other shinobi in the village—she might even stand a chance against him.

_To have that kind of power…it must be intoxicating. Unlimited chakra, increased rate of healing, unique jutsus…incredible._

"Er, Kusakage-sama?"

Hidoshi blinked; he hadn't realized the genin was still there. "Why haven't you gone to convey my orders to Shi-san?"

"Because I have another message for you, sir. Our scouts in the northern mountains have reported that Stone has dispatched a group of ninjas who appear to be specialists in explosives and demolition." As if to illustrate his point, a massive explosion sounded somewhere in the distance. Hidoshi winced. _Goodbye scenic countryside, hello giant smoking crater._

Hidoshi's headache started to reassert itself. "Send Shi-san to intercept that group, and dispatch Battalions 11,12, and 13 to the southern front instead."

"Yes, sir!"

_Why am I doing this? It's pointless. I wish I could just leave._ Of course, shinobi tended to take it rather poorly when one of their own abandoned his village. Even he couldn't fight an entire village full of ninjas, especially when one of them was a jinchuuriki. _But if they didn't know that I'd left…if, for example, they thought I was dead…_Hidoshi shook his head. _Even if I did manage to leave without my own army hunting me down, what would I do with the rest of my life?_

What Hidoshi had always wanted, of course, was to be the strongest, and to be acknowledged as the strongest by others. It was why he had devoted the first twenty years of his life to becoming Kusakage. _What could make me stronger than I am now?_ An image flashed through his mind—Shi, channeling the power of the demon sealed inside her. Chakra red as flame, whipping out to blast enemies away with sheer force. Being the vessel of one of the nine bijuu granted an exponential increase in a shinobi's power. Hidoshi had always been envious of those who were granted this power, and wished he could have it for himself. Of course, transferring a demon from one host to another wasn't exactly easy. It required that the chakra output of the bijuu be precisely matched. No single ninja could hope to equal the chakra level of a demon, so such a transfer would require a group of shinobi working together. Sealing Suzaku into Shi's body, for example, had taken a group of nine shinobi three days. _Wait a minute…nine shinobi are needed to transfer a demon in a reasonable length of time…and there are nine bijuu in total…_A hazy plan was beginning to form in his mind. He couldn't possibly be the only powerful ninja who was disillusioned with the shinobi creed of protecting others. He couldn't be the only one who cared about getting stronger more than anything else.

Deep in thought, Hidoshi stepped out of his tent and looked out over the Grass encampment. The sun had just set, and many people were preparing for an evening meal. Squads assigned to night missons were gathering their gear, and those who had been on daytime missions were returning to report in. _The battle against Stone has been getting fiercer and fiercer. If I could…if I could somehow make everyone think I was killed during a fight, no one would come looking for me. Then I'd be free to do whatever I wanted._ Nine bijuu. Nine shinobi required to transfer a bijuu. One for each. _Getting such people to work together would be difficult, of course, but…with such a great reward as inducement…_

Hidoshi looked to the sky. The moon was rising, and all the smoke in the air distorted the light so that the moon seemed to be colored a bright crimson. It was an omen of change, and of bloodshed. Turning his face up to the bloody radiance of the moon, he smiled for the first time in months. _Soon, I'll be free._

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A/N: I really seem to be on an Akatsuki kick lately. I don't know why; maybe just because they're all so cool and badass. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter; reviews would be much appreciated. Deidara's story will be next!


	2. Chapter 2

**Special Warning for This Chapter Only:** Some hints of SasoDei, but nothing explicit.

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_Chapter 2: Danna_

Deidara knelt by the simple obelisk that marked his partner's final resting place. His head was bent, and tears trickled down his cheeks. Ninjas in general were not supposed to cry. Emotions distracted you, got in the way of you doing your duty. As a shinobi, you were supposed to lock them away deep inside yourself. Akatsuki members _especially _were not supposed to cry. Being part of Akatsuki meant that you had taken that shinobi doctrine to the extreme. It meant that you no longer felt any ties of friendship or camaraderie. It meant that you weren't supposed to care about the death of a comrade, except in the sense that it might compromise the successful completion of your mission. You absolutely, positively, were not supposed to kneel at a comrade's grave and weep.

But Sasori was special.

All the other members had found it peculiar that Deidara chose to address Sasori with the suffix "-danna." It was a title of extreme deference, literally meaning "Master." None of the other members addressed their partners in that way, even when (as in the case of Kisame and Itachi) one partner's strength was vastly superior to the other's. Even the leader of the organization was not given that title. As a general rule, the Akatsuki members were not people who accepted masters of any sort.

But Sasori was special.

"Deidara-san calls him that because he has such respect for his ninja skills," they said. "Deidara-san calls him that because they are both artists," they said. "Deidara-san calls him that because they have a bond that is closer than mere comrades," they said. All of those reasons were true. But none of them was the _real_ reason. Awe at Sasori's artistic skills, respect for his power as a ninja, even something that might (if they weren't both ruthless criminals) be called love, were only part of the story.

Deidara called Sasori "danna" because Sasori was the only one who understood him.

Sasori was the only one who would touch Deidara's hand and not flinch in disgust at the mouth in his palm.

Sasori was the only one who would watch a display of Deidara's art and not complain about how the light and loud noise would draw the attention of enemy shinobi.

Sasori was the only one who didn't make fun of the way Deidara said "yeah" at the end of every sentence.

Sasori was the only one who hadn't mistaken Deidara for a girl at first. (By contrast, when Kisame first met Deidara, the former Mist-nin had leered and made a rather suggestive comment about Deidara's hand-mouths. He'd turned a rather interesting shade of pale green when Deidara informed him that he was, in fact, a man.)

Sasori was the only one who understood how art could be the most important thing in the world to a ninja.

Now, the person who understood him better than anyone else on earth was gone. Deidara would be given a new partner, but that person wouldn't understand him the way Sasori did.

Hidan said that Sasori's soul had moved on to the afterlife, a place where he would be happy for all eternity. Deidara was determined to join him there when his own time came. Whether he died a hundred years from now, or tomorrow, he would find his way to the place where Sasori was. He would fight even the gods themselves if they tried to keep the two of them apart.

Because Sasori was special.

"I _will_ be with you again, Sasori-danna…yeah."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A/N: I normally don't read or write shounen-ai or yaoi—SasoDei is the only malexmale pairing that I actually like. I'm not quite sure why…just something about those two characters seems to make them fit well together. Maybe it's the artist thing. Anyway, this is Deidara's chapter—Sasori will have one of his own, probably towards the end of the fic.

Next up: my favorite Akatsuki member, Uchiha Itachi!


	3. Chapter 3

_Chapter 3: The Good Samaritans_

Itachi leaped from tree branch to tree branch, stumbling and nearly falling to the forest floor in exhaustion. The battle against his clan had been a long one, and although none of the blood that dripped from his hands and katana was his, his chakra was almost depleted. He had even been forced to turn off his Sharingan a couple of miles back, despite the threat of ANBU pursuers, because it was the only way he could conserve enough energy to keep moving.

There was a clearing up ahead, and Itachi recognized it as the place where two of the Fire Country's major roads crossed. Itachi knew he would have to cross one of the roads to get out of the Fire Country. The problem was, it was the road that led to the capital city, and many people would be traveling along it to reach the festival that would start in a few days. Taking a deep breath, he activated a genjutsu to make himself invisible and silent so that no one on the road would notice him.

The genjutsu drained what little chakra he had left, and he felt himself swaying on a tree branch. His fatigue was taking its toll, and a sense of light-headedness overcame him. He had just enough time to think wryly, _It looks like I overestimated the height of my capacity_, before he blacked out.

* * *

Itachi woke up an unspecified amount of time later to see four people leaning over him. He reached for his kunai pouch, then realized that all four were wearing civilian clothing. One was a middle-aged woman with long black hair that was starting to turn gray, one was a boy about his age, and the other two were a man and woman in their twenties. Looking around, Itachi found that he was a short distance away from the road he had been intending to cross. He was laying on the ground between two large covered wagons. Lanterns were hung on the outside of the wagons, and a couple of horses were tethered nearby.

"He looks like he's been in a terrible battle," said the younger of the two men.

"He's been badly hurt. Michi-chan, grab the first aid kit out of the wagon. Yukaro-kun, bring one of those lanterns closer so I can get a better look at him." This was the middle-aged woman, whose brow was wrinkled with concern.

The young boy brought over one of the lanterns, and held it up over Itachi's prone body. The light glinted off his forehead protector, and the older woman said, "He's a ninja of the Leaf." Seeing that Itachi's eyes were open, she asked, "What's your name?"

Itachi hesitated. If news of the massacre had begun to spread, giving his real name might be dangerous. On the other hand, his clan symbol was embroidered onto the back of his shirt, so these people would find out who he was soon enough anyway. "Uchiha Itachi," he answered.

"My name is Nishikawa Sumiko," said the older woman gently. "Don't worry, you're among friends. How badly are you injured?"

Itachi frowned. Why would these people think he was injured? Oh right, the fact that he was covered in blood. "I'm not."

The younger woman, Michi, had returned with a first-aid kit. "But…there's so much blood. Whose is it, if not yours?"

"I…defeated most of my enemies, but some escaped. I was pursuing them when I collapsed."

"What happened? Has Konoha been attacked?" The older man was clearly worried.

Itachi remembered one of the many shinobi sayings he had learned during his childhood. _"To make a lie convincing, keep it as close to the truth as possible."_ He scrunched up his face, trying to look like he was wracked with grief. "Yes…a group of missing-nin attacked the Uchiha clan compound. Most of the clan…has been wiped out."

All four of the people surrounding him gasped in shock. "That's…that's terrible," exclaimed Sumiko. "That will be a great blow to the strength of Konoha. And you…" She laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I'm so sorry for your loss."

Itachi closed his eyes for a moment, as though trying to keep his emotions under control. "I have no physical injuries, but my chakra is almost completely drained. I need…to rest for a day or two. Please," he said, looking as plaintive as he could, "all I want is to avenge my clan."

Sumiko nodded in sympathy. "We're heading to the capital city to attend the festival. We'll take you with us until you're well enough to leave. And we'll send a message to Konoha so they'll know that you're alive."

"No!" Itachi grabbed Sumiko's wrist. "The attack was specifically targeted at my clan. If anyone knows that I'm with you…" He trailed off, letting them draw their own conclusions.

"All right. We'll wait until you're gone to send a message to Konoha. For now, let's get you some clean clothes and something to eat."

* * *

Itachi soon found out that Sumiko was the owner of a large clothing shop in one of the Fire Country's major cities. She and her three employees were traveling to the capital in order to sell their wares at the festival. The fourth member of their group, the older man, was named Aburame Akamatsu—no relation to Konoha's bug user clan. Eating a bowl of stew Akamatsu had given him, Itachi contemplated what to do. Sumiko and company probably would not hear the true story of the massacre until they reached their destination, but he was fairly certain that he did not want to travel all the way to the capital. The smartest thing to do was to stay away from all the large cities with many guards. He estimated that they would reach the capital in three days, which gave him that long to recover. He could slip away in the middle of the night without anyone knowing.

The next day, Itachi woke up to the sensation of movement. The sunlight filtering through the curtain that covered the opening at the back of the wagon was strong, and he guessed that it was around mid-day. He felt much better—his chakra was recovering, and his muscles no longer ached. Someone from Sumiko's group had left a rice ball and some dango on a napkin next to him, and he ate. As he swallowed the last bite of the dango, he felt the wagon lurch to a sudden halt. There were angry voices from outside, followed by shouts. An unfamiliar man burst into the wagon. He wore dark clothes and a mask over his face, but he moved with none of the grace of a shinobi. _A bandit._

Itachi jumped to his feet and grabbed a kunai. The bandit drew a knife of his own and lunged at Itachi. Itachi easily sidestepped—he didn't even have to turn his Sharingan on to fight a thug like this—and plunged his kunai into the man's back. The shouting from outside had not ceased, and Itachi stuck his head out of the wagon to see what was going on.

Three more bandits were standing in the road, blocking the group's way. Sumiko, Akamatsu, and Michi stood facing them, each holding a short blade that looked like it was used to cut cloth. Yukaro was hiding behind one of the wagons. Suddenly, one of the bandits noticed Itachi.

The thug's eyes widened in shock. "You…you're…"

Determined not to let him finish that sentence, Itachi grabbed his katana and jumped from the wagon, running to where the three civilians stood. Sprinting past them, he killed all three of the bandits before any of them had a chance to react. Sumiko and Akamatsu were staring at him with stunned looks, while Michi covered Yukaro's eyes so he wouldn't see the bloody corpses.

"Thank…thank you," Sumiko said. "We would have hired a shinobi guard, but bandits usually only attack lone travelers."

"Some of them have been getting bolder recently. You should hire a guard for the way back."

Sumiko nodded mutely.

* * *

That night, Itachi judged himself recovered enough to leave. He planned to head west, into the River Country. That country had no shinobi of its own, and so was a haven for missing-nin from other nations. Silently, Itachi slipped out of the wagon and started walking away.

"Aren't you even going to say goodbye?"

Itachi whirled around; he hadn't thought anyone was awake. Sumiko sat on the driver's bench of the other wagon, reading by the light of a single dim lantern. "I've decided to start keeping watches at night, because of the bandits," she explained.

"I have to go. The people who killed my clan will have fled, and I can't afford to lose their trail."

"You saved our lives today. Again, thank you."

Itachi remained silent.

"You're a shinobi; we should pay you the standard fee for a C-rank mission."

Itachi shook his head. "That isn't necessary."

"At least take something. Here." Sumiko reached into a pack by her side, rummaged in it for a few seconds, then pulled out something and held it up to the light. It was a delicate necklace, with small rings linked together by a silver chain. The rings were made of a shining black stone. "If you're going to be running all over the continent chasing these people, you'll need money. You should be able to get a decent amount for this. The stones are hematite; it's pretty rare." She tossed the necklace to Itachi, and he caught it. She had a good point; he _would _need money.

Itachi turned and began walking away. "Itachi-san!" Sumiko called after him. "I know…how greatly you must be suffering. Yukaro-kun lost his parents a few years ago too…Just remember, your friends will always be there for you. You're never truly alone." Itachi paused for a moment and looked back over his shoulder, inclining his head slightly—it was as close as he would get to saying farewell. Then he leaped to a tree branch and was gone.

* * *

Hurrying through the trees, Itachi reached up and fastened the necklace around his neck. When he reached the River Country, he didn't sell it. He couldn't quite say why—perhaps because it was associated with memories of compassion and kindness, emotions that he had ripped out of his own heart. Maybe it was because of the words Sumiko had said to him: _"Your friends will always be there for you. You're never truly alone."_ What she didn't know was that he _was_ truly alone. He had severed every bond, killed or pushed away every person who might have cared about him. That was the price he had paid to reach the height of his capacity. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad thing to be reminded of what he had given up in his quest for power. Perhaps one should be reminded that the cost of power is great.

* * *

A/N: This story came from the merging of three different ideas I had. First, Itachi seems to always wear that necklace—where did he get it from, and why does he keep it? He doesn't really seem like the type of person who would normally bother with something frivolous like jewelry. Second, the Naruto world is full of ninjas, but what about the regular people? There must be many more civilians than there are shinobi, but we hardly ever see them. What are the people who keep the society running and provide for the basic needs of the shinobi (food, clothing, etc) like? And third, after fighting his entire clan, Itachi must have been exhausted and drained of chakra. How did he escape from Konoha without the ANBU catching him? I'd had a story idea in the back of my mind for a while about some random person finding him collapsed by a roadside after the Uchiha massacre and nursing him back to health, having no idea what he'd done. So that became the basis for this story, and I incorporated the thing with the necklace into it.

The next chapter is going to be about the mysterious unknown Akatsuki member. The tentative order I have in mind for the chapters after that is: Zetsu, Tobi, Hidan, Kakuzu, Kisame, Sasori. That might change, though.


	4. Chapter 4

_Chapter 4: Opening the Cage_

Okazaki Komai strode through the forest, her robe swishing around her as she walked. The wind blew her glistening blue hair into her face, and she pushed it away. As she approached a small clearing, she came to a sudden stop. She sensed a chakra signature ahead, one that would normally be powerful but was now weak. She cautiously walked into the clearing, and saw a young man lying slumped against a tree. He wore a loose white robe and had long, dark hair. A Leaf forehead protector lay on the ground beside him. Several deep lacerations cut across his torso, and there were two dead bodies nearby, both Stone nin. It appeared that the Leaf shinobi had been separated from his teammates, defeated these enemies on his own, and then succumbed to his injuries.

Sensing that the boy was unconscious and no threat to her, Komai moved closer. She noted that neither of the Stone ninjas had any visible wounds from weapons or ninjutsu. That suggested that the Leaf soldier used either genjutsu or unarmed taijutsu. She bent over him and felt for a pulse. There was one, but it was weak and slow. If this boy's teammates didn't find him soon, he would die.

Lifting her eyes to the boy's face, Komai drew in a sharp breath. His eyes were closed and his face was peaceful, but his forehead was marred by a green mark that spanned it from one side to the other. The cursed seal took the form of an ancient symbol somewhat like an X, with a curved line on either side. It was a mark that was engraved on the foreheads of certain members of Konoha's Hyuuga clan. Itachi had mentioned it once—it represented a caged bird, one whose destiny was determined at birth. It represented a person who would never be free, but was doomed to spend the rest of his life enslaved to the larger purposes of his clan.

It brought back memories.

* * *

"_Father, that's not the life I want!"_

"_What you want? A shinobi doesn't think about what she herself wants. She thinks only of what is best for her clan, and her village."_

"_But I don't love him! And anyway, he's my cousin!"_

"_He carries the bloodline of our family more strongly than any other male in the clan. Your children will be even stronger than the two of you are. The bloodline of the Okazaki MUST be preserved. That's all that matters."_

"_I'm a kunoichi, Father, not some backwoods farmer's daughter who's content to live as just a housewife and mother! What good is preserving the goddamned bloodline if you won't let me go out on missions and USE it!"_

_

* * *

_

Slowly, Komai withdrew a scroll from an inside pocket of her clothing. On this scroll was a jutsu she'd just developed, using research stolen from the Stone Village. She was a genius at developing new jutsus, a talent the Akatsuki valued highly. In her years with the organization, she had created 14 techniques, 10 of which she had shared with her comrades. The remaining four were known to her alone. The intended use for this particular jutsu was to remove the cursed seal that Orochimaru had placed on Itachi's little brother. The last thing the Akatsuki needed was for Orochimaru to obtain the Sharingan. Komai suspected that Itachi also had more personal reasons for wanting to save his brother from Orochimaru, but that was one of those things that no one talked about. Mainly because no one wanted to piss Itachi off and spend the next 72 hours getting stabbed with a katana.

She turned the scroll over in her hands, hesitating. Any Leaf-nin, and especially one with an advanced bloodline, was a potential enemy. There was a common ninja saying: _Compassion shown to an enemy is not a virtue._ Anyone who had the potential to threaten the Akatsuki's plans should be killed. But there was another saying that she remembered hearing in her village when she was a small child: _If a bird escapes his cage, and sees another bird that is still imprisoned, he should pause in his flight and free his brother._ She herself had escaped the destiny that her clan had tried to impose on her. This boy was not so lucky.

* * *

"_Is this what you want? To disgrace our clan? To shame the memory of our ancestors?"_

"_I don't CARE about the reputation of our clan, or the memory of people who died a hundred years ago! What I care about is having the chance to live my own life for once! I don't want to be trapped here; I want to see the world, to have adventures, to pursue my OWN goals and not just those of the clan."_

"_Where will you go? The world is a cold place, and it doesn't care about one young girl's dreams. How will you survive without the support of your family?"_

"_I'm a shinobi—I fear nothing and I don't need anyone's help to survive."_

_She remembered turning her back on her father and walking to the door, only to feel him grab her wrist. "That's it! I won't allow you to do this. For the gods' sake, show some loyalty to your clan!"_

_A quick twist of her arm broke his grip; a jump and a spinning kick sent him flying back into the wall. "I am not without loyalty, but I won't have bonds with others forced upon me anymore. From now on, my bonds with others will be those of my own choosing."_

_

* * *

_

On that day, she had slammed the door behind her, and left her village without looking back. She had never looked back on any day since, either. It had been both exhilarating and frightening to realize that, for the first time in her life, she had no ties to any particular person or place. She could go where she liked, do what she liked, associate with whom she liked. She could decide for herself what goals to pursue. She could live by her own way of the ninja, instead of one that her clan had forced upon her. She had wandered aimlessly for a while, simply exploring a world she had never thought she'd get to see. There were plenty of people willing to employ a rogue ninja, especially one with her talents. She had completed a series of difficult missions for a mysterious former Sand shinobi, and eventually he had revealed something to her. The missions he had given her were not ordinary missions, but tests of her abilities. He had told her about the nine bijuu, and about the organization dedicated to capturing them. _"From now on, my bonds with others will be those of my own choosing."_ She toyed with the ring on her finger and smiled slightly.

Komai's smile faded as she unrolled the scroll she held. The Hyuuga boy was slipping away fast—if his teammates didn't find him within ten minutes, he'd be dead. And even if they did find him, there was no guarantee that they would be able to heal his wounds. _If you're going to die, die as a free man._ Running through the long series of seals described on the scroll, she placed her hands on the boy's forehead. Her chakra seeped into his body, gently disentangling the chakra of the cursed seal from his own chakra system. Her chakra enfolded and isolated the cursed chakra, and she carefully drew it out of his body. She placed her hands on the scroll, and the chakra-focusing symbols written there caused the cursed chakra to dissipate harmlessly. While she watched, the green mark disappeared from the boy's forehead, leaving flawless skin behind.

As she rolled up the scroll and placed it back in its pocket, Komai's keen senses picked up several chakra signatures moving in her direction. They were moving at great speed and not doing much to conceal their presence. _Well, kid, it looks like maybe you have a chance after all.

* * *

_

"_Who are you?" The voice spoke out of the darkness of the cave, deep and resonant. _

"_I am Okazaki Komai."_

"_What are you?"_

"_A kunoichi."_

"_No. That is your profession. What are you?"_

"_I am a missing-nin from the Hidden Village of Cloud."_

"_No. That is a designation given to you by those you left behind. What are you?"_

_What else was there? What was she, behind all the definitions imposed by others? What was she, within her own heart?_

"_I am…a bird that once lived in a cage, but refused to accept that existence. I am a caged bird that has broken free, and will never be enclosed by bars again."_

_

* * *

_

On a warm summer day in the Earth Country, one caged bird and one free bird entered the forest. A few hours later, two free birds left it.

* * *

A/N: I've always liked the idea of Neji somehow managing to get rid of his cursed seal. (My personal theory is that Sakura or Tsunade will develop a jutsu to remove cursed seals for use on Sasuke, and then someone will point out that such a technique could also be used to get rid of Neji's seal.) So the general "Neji loses his cursed seal" idea was part of the inspiration for this chapter. I thought about adding a bit to this chapter where Neji wakes up in the Konoha hospital and realizes his seal is gone, but I didn't put it in because my intention was for the stories in this fic to really center on the Akatsuki members.

Anyway, this is the story for the mysterious blue-haired member (who so far has only been seen in that one spread from Chapter 317 that showed all the members together). The next chapter will be about either Hidan or Zetsu.

Many thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far!


	5. Chapter 5

**Warning:** As you've probably noticed in manga chapter 325, Hidan swears a _lot_. As a result, this chapter contains more bad language than the previous ones.

* * *

_Chapter 5: True Believer_

Hidan shifted the weight of his scythe on his back and sighed tiredly. He was still an hour or two away from his destination, and carrying his weapon was beginning to strain his shoulders. He had been thrilled to receive it—it marked him, after all, as a full member of the Jashin sect—but right now all he could think about was how much he'd like to set it down and rest for a while.

At sixteen, Hidan had finished his study at the temple at a younger age than anyone else, or so his teacher had told him. He had presented Hidan with the scythe and with a pendant that bore the Jashin symbol, performed the ritual that would imbue them with power, and sent Hidan on his way. The greatest gift a graduate of the temple received, however, was neither the weapon nor the symbolic pendant. It was something that human beings had sought after for millennia—the promise of eternal life.

To Hidan, the enormity of this gift hadn't really hit home yet. He was only sixteen, after all, and at that age, death was such a distant prospect that it hardly seemed worth thinking about. To be honest, he hadn't really paid attention to all the stuff his teacher said about immortality. He'd smiled and nodded, but was more interested in his rapidly growing combat strength. The ability to inflict one's own wounds on an enemy simply by tasting his blood, the immunity to pain, the fluid motions of the scythe on its rope—those were the results of his training that Hidan truly valued.

_Why the hell does the sect's chosen weapon have to be so damn heavy? Seriously, they could have picked, like, a kunai. But nooooooooo, I had to join the sect that makes its members carry around a huge-ass scythe._

Hidan was jolted out of his mental complaining by the sensation of several nearby chakra signatures. Four shinobi, about ANBU level. They were arranged in a semicircle, and were apparently trying to surround him. _Heh, it looks like I at least get to have a good fight. I hope they're skilled enough to be worthy of the ceremony._ He noted that the shinobi had succeeded in surrounding him, and guessed that one of them would soon reveal himself. As it turned out, his guess was right.

A short, stocky, red-haired man stepped out of the trees on Hidan's right. His ANBU mask, which was shaped like a fox, bore the symbol of the Hidden Rain—Hidan's home village.

Hidan greeted the man with his usual tact and charm. "Who are you, and why the fuck are you bothering me?"

The fox ANBU removed his short sword from its sheath on his back. "I am a hunter-nin from the Hidden Rain. Matsushita Hidan, you are a missing-nin and a criminal. Two years ago, you killed your teammates and sensei and fled the Hidden Village of Rain. I do not intend to let that crime go unpunished."

"I don't care what you intend to do. I'm tired, so I'm not in a really good mood right now. Get your fat ass out of my way before I kill you."

The fox ANBU crouched in a fighting stance and raised his sword. "Kill me? On the contrary, you're the one who's going to die." At that moment, three blurs emerged from the trees and launched themselves at Hidan. _Oh, please. Like I couldn't see that coming._ Hidan grasped the handle of his scythe and swung it around in a wide arc, forcing the three other ANBU to jump back in order to avoid being cut in half. One, a female, wore a hawk mask. The other two, both male, wore the masks of a bear and a wolf, respectively. All three had their swords out. The woman in the hawk mask formed a flurry of seals and declared, "Jungle's Grip Technique!" Vines flew out of the woods behind Hidan, trying to bind his limbs in place. Hidan leapt into the air and executed a backflip, swinging his scythe as he did so. The weapon's three blades sliced through the vines with ease. As he fell back towards the ground, Hidan formed a few seals of his own. When he landed, he pressed one palm against the ground. "Gaping Mouth of the Underworld Technique!" Beneath the hawk ANBU's feet, the ground softened, becoming liquid. The woman struggled to free herself, and Hidan detected the flare of chakra as she opened the first of the eight gates. Still, the quicksand he had created relentlessly sucked her down.

"Arimoto-san!" The bear ANBU cried out in alarm, and both he and the wolf ANBU rushed towards their comrade. "Like I'd let you do that," Hidan scoffed, and ran through another set of seals. "You bastards really have no talent at all. You should just die. Levitation Technique!" Suddenly, in the area around the two oncoming ANBU, gravity ceased to exist. The two men floated up into the air, tumbling helplessly. They flailed their arms and legs, but without anything to brace against, they couldn't even orient themselves in an upright position. Watching them spin slowly, Hidan laughed. Glancing to his left, he saw that the quicksand had covered the top of the hawk ANBU's head, so he released the jutsu and turned his attention back to the bear and wolf ANBU. With a bored expression on his face, he swung his scythe through the air, cleanly slicing both men apart. Turning to face the fox ANBU, Hidan said, "Well, you're the only one left. I certainly hope you have more skill than those three dumbasses. They weren't even good enough to be made part of my ritual. This is just a fucking waste of my time."

A wave of killing intent washed over Hidan as the fox ANBU gripped his sword more tightly. "They were good people. I will avenge their deaths." He swung his sword at Hidan, who parried with his scythe. And then, suddenly, he was gone.

Hidan turned just in time to parry another thrust from the fox ANBU's sword. Then the man was gone again, and Hidan didn't find him in time to avoid a roundhouse kick to the head. Pain flared through his skull, awakening the bloodlust that had made him a perfect devotee of Jashin. _Sonofabitch! How is he moving so fast?_

His confusion must have been evident on his face, because the fox ANBU said, "I have an advanced bloodline that allows me to move ten times faster than an ordinary human. You can't keep up with me."

Hidan glared. "We'll see about that." For the next few minutes, the two men went back and forth with a lightning-fast flurry of blows. Hidan only barely managed to parry or dodge the fox ANBU's attacks, and with each strike he could feel the weight of his scythe slowing him down a little more. Finally, he felt an arm wrap around him from behind, and the cold steel of the ANBU's sword pressed against his throat.

"This," whispered the ANBU in a tone of quiet rage, "is what happens when you abandon your village and kill the ninja of the Hidden Rain." Then he pulled the blade of his sword down across Hidan's throat.

Hidan dropped to his knees, and the fox ANBU strode away across the clearing. But something was odd. Hidan's throat hurt, but it was a dull ache, not the sharp, overwhelming pain he would have expected. Even more importantly, he didn't feel like he was dying. His vision wasn't wavering, his life wasn't flashing before his eyes, his limbs weren't going numb. There wasn't even all that much blood. Hidan raised a hand to his throat—and felt the flesh knitting itself back together under his fingers. His teacher's words about eternal life came back to him. "You will never die, no matter what happens to you," the man had said. Hidan had understood that he would never die from illness or old age, but he had not expected invulnerability to injury as well. _This…this is what my teacher meant when he spoke about immortality. He didn't mean just immunity from _natural _death…he meant immunity from _any _sort of death at all. _Of course, injuries incurred during the ritual healed instantly, but apparently _any _injury was now meaningless for him.

The enormity of this gift suddenly hit Hidan like a ton of bricks. He could defeat any opponent, destroy any foe. His body would remain young and perfect forever, and no blade or jutsu would ever scar it. And he had no reason to fear death of any kind. All the things that haunted the nightmares of every other person—injury, disease, the ravages of age—those things would never touch him. He was _immortal_.

He wanted to throw back his head and laugh with pure joy. He only restrained himself because such a sound would alert the departing fox ANBU to his continued existence. Silently, Hidan gripped the rope attached to his scythe and flung it towards the other man. The rope wrapped around him, and Hidan stood and pulled the ANBU back towards him in one fluid movement. He raised the scythe above the other man's head. Entangled in the rope, the ANBU had no way to form seals or break free. His wide eyes were fixated on Hidan's unmarked throat, and his face was pale with fear. "What…what _are _you?" he managed to whisper.

A grin slowly spread across Hidan's face. "A true believer," he responded…and brought the scythe down.

* * *

A/N: So, here's Hidan in all his evil, sadistic badassness (is that even a word?). Next up: everyone's favorite plant-human hybrid, Zetsu. 


	6. Chapter 6

_Chapter 6: Leafy and Loving It_

It wasn't easy being half plant. For one thing, people tended to look at you very strangely. Ever since he could remember, people had looked at Zetsu with fear and suspicion in their eyes. They flinched backwards when he spoke to them, and recoiled when he tried to shake their hands. When he walked down the street, they crossed to the other side, pulling their children with them. His own classmates at the Ninja Academy in the Hidden Village of Grass had teased him mercilessly about his appearance.

Another tough aspect of being part plant was that one tended to feel as much empathy with plants as with other people. Since most people viewed plants as beneath their consideration, this caused some problems. A clear-cut forest could move Zetsu to tears in the same way that dozens of bodies lying in a morgue might move someone else. Zetsu didn't like the way most people crushed blades of grass underfoot without a second thought as they walked. He glared whenever he saw some woman pulling up weeds in her garden. He winced when Deidara or Kisame got angry and took out their feelings on some poor innocent tree that happened to be nearby.

If being half plant was hard, having two distinct personalities was even harder. No one was quite sure whether Zetsu's dual personality was another aspect of the bloodline that gave him his plantlike appearance. All they knew was that he spoke in two easily distinguishable voices, and that these two voices were as different from each other as night and day. One was gentle, kind, and nearly incapable of harming any living soul. The other was ruthless, harsh, and loved to fight. This made it difficult for people to interact with him, because they never knew what reaction to expect. It was also pretty confusing to have one voice tell you something, and then have the other immediately contradict it.

As a result of all these things, Zetsu had never really felt at home anywhere—until he joined the Akatsuki. Among them, he had learned that other people existed in the world who were just as unusual as he was. Kisame was half shark, Sasori was a puppet, and Deidara had mouths in the palms of his hands. Among such people, Zetsu almost felt normal. It was a feeling he had never experienced before, and it was wonderful.

What amazed him even more was that none of the other members were frightened or repulsed by the way he looked or acted. They didn't care that he had a giant Venus flytrap growing out of his shoulders. They didn't comment on the fact that his face was half black and half white. They got used to his two personalities fairly quickly, and accepted it as just another fact about him. They didn't care about what he looked like, only about what he could do.

If the other members' acceptance of his strange appearance stunned him, Tobi's reaction had him absolutely flabbergasted. The boy whom Zetsu had rescued looked up to him with something that went beyond mere admiration and bordered on hero worship. The younger man followed him everywhere, eagerly obeyed his every order, and beseeched Zetsu to teach him new jutsus. His greatest wish was to become a member of Akatsuki, for the simple reason that Zetsu was a member. Zetsu had never dreamed that anyone would do more than tolerate his presence. To encounter someone who actually _wanted _to be around him made him happier than he would ever admit.

It wasn't easy being half plant. But with comrades like the Akatsuki and a student like Tobi, it wasn't so bad either.

* * *

A/N: I know this chapter is kind of brief, but I'm expecting the next one to be relatively long, so it should all balance out in the end. Next up: Kakuzu. (Also, thanks to everyone who's reviewed so far!) 


	7. Chapter 7

_Chapter 7: Partner Troubles_

Kakuzu was usually the silent type. He didn't talk much, and when he did, it was generally about money. However, his quiet veneer concealed an explosive temper. When he got angry, he _really _got angry. This had gotten him into a lot of trouble in his home village, Hidden Waterfall. When he joined the Akatsuki, he was dismayed to learn that he would be expected to work with a partner. Having to put up with someone else's weaknesses and annoying habits was one of the things that was guaranteed to set off his temper.

His first partner was a missing-nin from Hidden Sand named Higuchi Arai. Arai had vivid green eyes and spiky black hair. His most distinctive physical feature was a long scar that ran along the right side of his face from temple to chin, narrowly missing the eye. He wielded a naginata, and was a deadly expert at genjutsu. He could sneak up on an enemy and kill them before they ever knew anything was wrong.

Unfortunately, he also possessed an attitude towards money that was the exact opposite of Kakuzu's thriftiness. Whenever he was given the responsibility of finding lodging for himself and Kakuzu, he inevitably chose the most luxurious, expensive hotel in town. When Kakuzu delegated the task of getting food to him, he got takeout from the best restaurant in the area. When Kakuzu complained to him about his spending habits, he just shrugged.

"The bounty on that last guy we killed was over 50,000 ryou. It's not like we don't have enough money."

Kakuzu gritted his teeth. "That's not the point. This money has to last us—and the other seven—until our next target."

"So? There's, like, a bazillion guys with bounties on their heads. And for people as powerful as us, killing any of them won't exactly be a challenge."

Kakuzu's fists clenched, and he closed his eyes, trying to rein in his growing annoyance. "Look, just…stop spending so much money all the time, okay? That's all I'm asking."

Arai grinned and clapped a hand on Kakuzu's shoulder. "Aw, come on, what's the point of having money if you don't spend it? You really should loosen up, Kakuzu-san. How about this: you and I can go out for drinks—there's a great bar a couple of blocks from here. And later, maybe you and me can hire a couple of geishas for the night." He winked.

That was it. Kakuzu's tenuous hold on his rage snapped.

Five seconds later, Arai was dead.

Kakuzu told everyone else that Arai had died on a mission. It was technically true—they _had_ been on a mission at the time of Arai's death.

* * *

Kakuzu's second partner was named Matsumura Chinzei. Chinzei was a tall, lithe woman with bright orange hair. (Looking between her and the blue-haired Komai, Kakuzu wondered if there was such a thing as a kunoichi with a normal hair color.) Her weapon of choice was a set of nunchaku, and she specialized in earth-element ninjutsu. This would all have been well and good…except that she had a habit of flirting with anything that was male and had a pulse.

This was especially problematic because Kakuzu fulfilled both of those criteria. For that matter, so did six of the other seven Akatsuki members. Chinzei quickly learned that hitting on Deidara was a really good way to get beaten up by Sasori's puppets, and that a brick wall would respond to sexual advances before Itachi did. The next thing Kakuzu discovered about Chinzei was that the "male" criterion for being a target of her flirting was apparently optional—judging by the look on Komai's face, she was surprised to find that out too.

None of this would have been a huge issue if Chinzei hadn't turned her attention to Kakuzu whenever they went on a mission together. She would twirl a lock of her hair around her finger, smile seductively at him, and "accidentally" brush his hand with her own. When they sparred, she always managed to arrange things such that she ended up either pinned under him or pinning him down. Needless to say, Kakuzu didn't appreciate this and tried everything he could to make her realize that he wasn't interested. It didn't work.

"Kakuzu-san, why do you always stay so covered up in that robe and mask? I'm sure a man like you doesn't have anything to be ashamed of."

Kakuzu grunted and pulled out the notebook in which he kept all of the Akatsuki's income and expenses meticulously listed.

"That special jutsu you use with your hands is quite impressive. Of course, I'm sure you can do _other _things with your hands that are even _more _impressive."

Kakuzu groaned inwardly and started running his eyes down the list of the past month's expenses. _Must remain calm. Must not kill another partner._

"And of course, I've always been a fan of the strong, silent type."

Kakuzu started counting to ten, trying to calm his seething anger. He'd always heard that counting to ten before you said or did anything helped with that.

"You know, I've been doing a lot of taijutsu training recently. I've become very…flexible…"

Looking back on the incident, Kakuzu was impressed with his restraint. He'd counted all the way up to eight before he gave up and killed her.

* * *

A few months later, Kimura Hidoshi, the Akatsuki's reclusive leader, summoned Kakuzu to a meeting. Kakuzu could guess why. Hidoshi was probably going to present him with a new partner. _I hope this one is less annoying than the last two. If I keep killing my partners, eventually Hidoshi-sama will stop believing that they've all "accidentally" died during missions._

"Kakuzu-san, I have good news: we've recruited a new partner for you. His name is Matsushita Hidan." Hidoshi gestured, and a man stepped out of the shadows. Hidan was a fairly short, muscular man who carried a huge triple-bladed scythe. He wore his Akatsuki robe open almost to the waist, and a pendant with an obscure religious symbol rested on his bare chest. He seemed quite young, perhaps two or three years older than Itachi.

"It's good to meet you, Kakuzu-san," Hidan said.

Kakuzu nodded slowly. "I hope that we will be able to work together well."

"Oh, I'm certain you will," Hidoshi interjected. "I know you've had troubles with your partners dying on missions, so I made sure to find someone a bit sturdier. I don't think Hidan-san will have any unfortunate _accidents_…will he?"

_Oh._ Hidoshi's tone made it clear that he knew exactly how Kakuzu's previous two partners had died. "No, I'm sure he will be just fine," Kakuzu replied.

"Good. Now, for your first mission…"

* * *

Their first mission was relatively simple: one of the Akatsuki's spies had betrayed them, and Kakuzu and Hidan were to assassinate the man. The mission itself went well enough. The target was killed and no witnesses were left behind. The problem came afterward.

"Um…Hidan-san…what are you doing?"

Hidan was kneeling on the ground, arms outstretched to either side, head bowed. "I'm giving thanks to the gods for allowing us to successfully complete our mission."

"Okay…how long do you think this is going to take? It's getting kind of cold out here."

"The completion of the ritual takes about half an hour. But it'll take longer if you keep asking me questions every five seconds, seriously."

Kakuzu took a deep breath. _So the guy's kind of religious. I can live with that._

And Kakuzu _could_ have lived with it, if Hidan hadn't insisted on performing his ritual after every single battle. And if he hadn't complained so much about absolutely everything. And if he had been capable of uttering more than one sentence in a row without swearing. After a month, Kakuzu was ready to kill his new partner. He only refrained from doing so by reminding himself of how angry Hidoshi would be.

"Seriously, why the hell do we have to stop at these goddamned bounty stations all the time? It makes our missions take so much longer."

"Hey, I put up with your stupid ritual, you can put up with me earning a bit of money for the organization."

"Don't call my ritual stupid, you dumbass! Whenever I kill someone, it's a sacrifice to the gods, and it's only appropriate to pray afterward."

"So you get to make your sacrifice or whatever, what's wrong with making a little money from it?"

"What's wrong is that we keep having to make these detours out into the middle of fucking nowhere, to these bounty stations that always smell horrible, just so you can make a few ryou. It really pisses me off!"

_Okay, that's it. I've put up with him for a month. I don't care if Hidoshi-sama gets pissed at me, this bastard is going to **die**!_ Kakuzu launched one hand forward and clenched it around Hidan's throat. For some odd reason, Hidan didn't raise his own hands to pry Kakuzu's fingers apart. He just stood there. Of course, having witnessed Hidan's fighting style, Kakuzu knew that he could withstand a ridiculous amount of pain. He had even seen Hidan stab himself in the chest, puncturing a lung and probably only barely missing his heart. But even if he didn't care about pain, he should be feeling the effects of oxygen deprivation. He must know he was dying, so why wasn't he resisting? Kakuzu squeezed harder, and felt Hidan's neck snap.

_Well. Now I don't have to put up with that idiot anymore. Damn, that felt good. Now I just have to figure out how to explain this to Hidoshi-sama…_

"What the _hell_ did you do that for?! Do you have any idea how damn much that hurts?" Kakuzu looked down—and nearly collapsed from shock. Hidan was sitting up and rubbing his neck. He glared up at Kakuzu from the floor. "Well don't just stand there gaping like an idiot. Use some medical ninjutsu to knit the vertebrae back together—it'll be a pain in the ass if I have to wait for it to heal on its own, seriously."

Kakuzu blinked. "Why aren't you dead?"

"What the hell do you mean? I can't die. Seriously, what part of 'immortal' do you not understand?"

"You're _immortal_?"

"Yeah, didn't Hidoshi-sama tell you that? I don't age, I don't get diseases, and I can't die from injury." He grinned. "You're stuck with me."

In the street outside, passerby jumped as a cry of "_Hidoshi-sama, you **bastard**!_" echoed from inside the inn, followed by a crash as Kakuzu put his fist through the nearest wall in frustration.

* * *

A/N: Poor, poor Kakuzu. Hidan is such a fun character to write dialogue for. But shame on him for killing Asuma-sensei! Next up: Tobi. 


	8. Chapter 8

_Chapter 8: The New Guy_

He had thought he was going to die.

Trapped under a pile of boulders, deep in hostile territory, half his body crushed, death had seemed certain. His teammates had fled, and while his sensei would almost certainly come looking for him, it was just as certain that he would be too late. And if, by some miracle, he didn't die of his injuries, the Stone ninja would kill him.

When the rocks pinning him down seemed to shimmer like a mirage in the desert, he thought he was hallucinating. Pain and blood loss must be taking their toll. Because he thought he was hallucinating, he wasn't overly surprised to see a very unusual-looking head emerge from the rocks and peer down at him. When you were hallucinating, after all, you might see anything—even a man with a plant growing out of his shoulders.

He had passed out then, and woken up in a cool, dark place. His entire body ached, and he felt drowsy. Looking around, he saw that he was lying in a bed in what looked like an infirmary. Harsh fluorescent lights glared from the ceiling, and there were no windows. He suspected that he was underground.

He spotted movement out of the corner of his eye, and saw that the man with the plant growing out of his shoulders was there. "You saved me," he whispered in a small voice.

The man nodded silently.

"Thank you."

The man shrugged, as if to say, "It was nothing." Then he came closer and stared down at the boy. "I'm Zetsu. What's your name?"

The boy opened his mouth to answer…and then realized that he didn't know. "I…have no idea," he said.

"Hmm…considering that some of those rocks fell on your head, amnesia isn't all that surprising. For now…why don't we call you Tobi?"

* * *

It took Tobi a long time to recover. Luckily, Zetsu was a superb medic, and was able to heal all of Tobi's internal injuries. External injuries, however, were another matter. His face and body were heavily scarred, and there was simply no way to replace his missing left eye. Although Zetsu told him that shinobi wore their scars as badges of honor, Tobi wore long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and a mask to conceal them.

His one remaining eye, he quickly discovered, was something special. If he concentrated really hard, he could make it turn red. Zetsu said that this was a jutsu only he could use, something that was ingrained into his genes. Tobi soon found that when this jutsu was active, he could predict an opponent's movements and copy their techniques. Zetsu told him that it was called the Sharingan, a name that sounded familiar to Tobi, although he couldn't quite say why.

* * *

Zetsu was part of an organization called Akatsuki, which he said was a group of shinobi who had left their home villages and banded together for a purpose that he refused to reveal. This organization had seven other members, and was looking for one more. Tobi had been struggling with his amnesia for months, and was no closer to remembering any details of his first thirteen years of life. One of the things that bothered him most about this was that without a hold on his past, he could not chart a course for his future. He had no idea what his goals, dreams, hopes, or fears were. He had no purpose to strive for. So when Zetsu mentioned that Akatsuki was recruiting, he latched on to that as a possibility. After all, if Zetsu belonged to the group, it must be pretty good.

Unfortunately, Akatsuki didn't open their ranks to just anyone. All the other members were powerful shinobi—something that Zetsu called "S-rank", which apparently meant that they were even stronger than jounin. Tobi was nowhere near that level. But, Zetsu said, he had great potential and might become strong enough someday. That made Tobi happy. It was reassuring to have a goal again. If he couldn't remember his previous life, he would just have to start over and make a new one for himself.

* * *

Tobi would never forget the day Uchiha Itachi tried to kill him. After nearly eight years, Akatsuki had finally found someone worthy of filling the last open spot in their organization. What made Tobi angry was that the person they'd found was barely fourteen, younger than he was. _Why does this kid get to join and I don't?_ he wondered. But his anger evaporated when he saw the boy's eyes. They were blood-red, with three comma-shaped marks surrounding the pupils, just like his own. There was no doubt about it: the new member was related to him somehow.

Tobi was overjoyed. He was immensely grateful to the Akatsuki for rescuing him from certain death, for healing him and housing him and training him. But the fact that he had no memories of his former life nagged at him. Late at night, he would wonder what that life had been like. Where had he lived? Had he been a ninja? Had he had many friends? And most of all, had he had a _family_? So when he saw Itachi's scarlet eyes, he ripped off his mask, ran up to the younger boy, and embraced him like a brother.

This turned out to be a rather bad idea.

The next thing Tobi knew, he was pinned against a wall, with one of Itachi's hands in a vise-like grip around his neck. He gasped and tried to pull Itachi's fingers away from his throat, but to no avail. He tried to form the hand seals for a jutsu, but all the strength was leaving his limbs. His vision was fading out around the edges, and he was starting to feel light-headed.

"Itachi-san! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

_Oh, thank the gods! Zetsu-san is here._

"This individual is a member of my clan. The test your organization set for me was to destroy that clan. I was allowed to choose only one to spare, and I have already chosen my brother. Therefore, I must kill this person."

_Wait, the Akatsuki made him kill his own family in order to join them? Why would they do something like that?_

"Tobi-kun is a subordinate of the Akatsuki. As such, he is exempt from the requirement we set for you."

"You did not tell me this before. I apologize." The hand was removed from his neck, and Itachi asked, "Do you require medical attention?"

"No…no, I don't think so. But, is it true that you and me are related?"

"Apparently." Itachi evidently did not feel like giving a more detailed explanation, because he left the room without another word.

Later, Zetsu told Tobi that he and Itachi were most likely cousins. Tobi nodded, and then asked tentatively, "Zetsu-san, Itachi-san said that the Akatsuki made him kill his family so that he could join you. Why did you do that?"

Zetsu pondered for a moment before he replied, "The Uchiha clan was dangerous."

"Because of their abilities? The Sharingan?"

"Yes."

"Zetsu-san…I have the Sharingan too. Am I dangerous?"

"No, Tobi-kun. You're a good boy."

* * *

From what Itachi had said on that occasion, Tobi knew that he had another living relative, Itachi's brother. Unfortunately, he didn't know the other Uchiha's name or anything about him. When he tried to ask Itachi about it, Itachi fixed him with a glare that made him want to curl up in a corner and whimper to himself. He was not destined to encounter Sasuke until many years later.

Secrecy was the code by which the Akatsuki operated, and there was only one man outside of their organization who knew the full extent of their plans. That man was Orochimaru, and the Akatsuki had decided that the time had finally come to silence him. Itachi, Kisame, Deidara, Tobi, and Zetsu were sent to the Sound Village to assassinate the former Sannin. The mission started out easy. Most of Orochimaru's subordinates were nowhere near the Akatsuki's level, and the five S-ranked shinobi destroyed them without any difficulty. Kabuto proved to be a trickier opponent, but even he eventually fell to the devastating power of Kisame's Samehada. Everyone was wondering when Orochimaru himself was going to show up—they seemed to be running out of minions to fight—when a voice rang out across the clearing: "UCHIHA ITACHI! _I WILL KILL YOU!_"

All five Akatsuki members turned to face the new arrival, and Tobi gasped. The boy had short black hair that stuck up in the back, exactly like his own. And his eyes were crimson with the power of the Sharingan.

Without further ado, Sasuke held up one hand, and blue chakra glowed around it. With his own Sharingan, Tobi instantly analyzed and copied the technique. It was powerful, and clearly meant for instant obliteration of the opponent. Sasuke began to sprint towards Itachi, a murderous grimace twisting his face. _Itachi's his only brother, and he wants to kill him?_ Tobi ran through a flurry of seals, and activated a Chidori of his own. Throwing himself into the gap between Sasuke and Itachi, he held the luminescent ball of chakra out in front of him, yelling, "STOP!"

Sasuke skidded to a halt barely a foot away from him. "Get out of my way," he said in a voice that was utterly cold.

"He's your brother, your _family_," Tobi implored. "Brothers shouldn't hurt each other."

"What the hell would you know about it?" Sasuke snarled.

"More than you think," Tobi responded, and slowly removed his mask.

Sasuke's jaw dropped. "You…who are you?"

"I don't know the name I was born with, but I'm part of the Uchiha clan, and the name Zetsu-san gave me when he saved my life is Tobi."

Sasuke looked back and forth between Itachi and Tobi. "But…if you're an Uchiha…why are you alive? Why didn't Itachi kill you?"

Itachi raised an eyebrow and glanced disdainfully at his brother. "A ninja is supposed to possess superb observational skills. If you had any at all, Sasuke, you would notice that Tobi-san is an Akatsuki member. As such, there was no need for me to kill him."

"And you work with him?" Sasuke demanded furiously of Tobi. "You fight on his side after what he did to our family?"

"I don't remember anything of the Uchiha clan," Tobi said. "The only family I have any memory of is the Akatsuki, so of course I fight for them."

"Your _real_ family is the Uchiha clan, the one that bastard destroyed," Sasuke shot back. "They were good, and kind, and noble, and he killed all of them without a single regret!"

"Your memory of our family," Itachi broke in calmly, "is distorted by the innocence of your childhood. Our clan was arrogant and drunk on its own power. Our clansmen knew they had the ability to control demons, and they sought to bring the Kyuubi itself under their influence. The plan backfired, and the Kyuubi almost destroyed Konoha. Rather than admit their shame, our elders hid what they had done from the rest of the village. They were hardly the noble protectors of Konoha that you imagine them to be."

Tobi was aghast. The family he had dreamed about for so long had done _that_? They had brought down a catastrophe upon their village and refused to accept responsibility for it afterwards? He had imagined his family to be a proud clan of ninjas, heroically defending their village no matter the cost. He had most certainly _not_ imagined this. He looked back and forth between the two brothers. They were both his family, but they seemed intent on killing each other.

"How dare you say that about our clan?" Sasuke growled, glaring at Itachi. "They would never have done such a thing!" Again, chakra glowed around his hand so that it appeared to be wreathed in lightning.

"Wait!" Tobi cried. "Sasuke-san, if our clan was from Konoha, then why are you here? Why are you with Orochimaru?"

"In Konoha, I allowed myself to be lulled by dreams of companionship and hope. I began to forget my goal, my ambition of killing Itachi. I left Konoha to pursue that ambition by obtaining power from Orochimaru-sama."

"You left your friends behind? The people who cared about you after the death of your clan? You just…abandoned them?" Tobi stared at the ground. In the back of his mind, he had always cherished a dream of discovering the family he had been born into, of reuniting with them. But now he wondered, even if the Uchiha clan had been alive and vibrant, would he be willing to leave the Akatsuki for them? Could he abandon the people who had saved his life, who had become, in some ways, a surrogate family? Certainly they were not perfect. Itachi hardly ever spoke, Hidan was always complaining about something or other, and random objects tended to explode whenever Deidara was around. But they were all he had, and he knew that he could never abandon them, no matter what anyone else offered him. "I could never do something like that," he said softly. "I know what it's like to lose everything. I don't even have memories to hold close to my heart like you do. And I know what it's like to have to rebuild your life from nothing. I never could have survived that if it weren't for the comrades I've found in the Akatsuki. I could never walk away from them the way you've walked away from your friends."

Sasuke stared at him, a mix of emotions flitting across his face. "What I've done in the past doesn't matter," he finally said in a hoarse voice. "All that matters is that I'm here now, and Itachi is here, and I'm going to kill him."

Tobi activated his own newly-discovered Chidori once again, and stepped in front of Itachi. "I won't let you," he told Sasuke resolutely. "You may be able to walk away from your friends, but not me. Those shinobi who won't protect their comrades are worse than trash, and I'm not like that!"

Sasuke's eyes widened. "That…that saying…I recognize it: 'Those who break the rules and regulations are called trash, but those who won't protect their friends are worse than trash'…My sensei said that, a long time ago."

Tobi smiled. "It sounds like your sensei was a wise man."

Sasuke slowly lowered his hand, and the glow around it disappeared. "I never thought there would be another Uchiha alive," he said. "Even if you are with Akatsuki, I can't kill you. But I know you're not Itachi's regular partner. You won't always be around to protect him, and one day, I _will_ kill him." Turning his back on the assembled Akatsuki members, Sasuke walked away.

"Where are you going, Sasuke?" Itachi called after him.

"Back to Konoha."

Tobi felt an intent gaze directed at him, and turned to find that it belonged to Itachi. "What's wrong, Itachi-san?"

"That saying you quoted to Sasuke…I recognize it too. When I was in ANBU, it was my jounin supervisor's favorite motto. His name was Hatake Kakashi. He had a friend from our clan who was believed to have died on a mission years earlier, a boy named Uchiha Obito. I believe that is who you are."

Itachi turned and walked away, followed by Kisame, Deidara, and Zetsu. Orochimaru had clearly hidden or fled, otherwise he would have tried to stop Sasuke from leaving. Without the Sound Village to back him up, he didn't pose much of a threat anyway.

Tobi watched the Akatsuki leave, and then looked in the direction Sasuke had gone. Which identity to follow? Tobi or Obito? Leaf-nin or Akatsuki member? Friend of Kakashi or partner of Deidara?

_Those who won't protect their friends are worse than trash…_

In the end, he had no memory of anyone from Konoha. But the Akatsuki…they had become his friends, his comrades. And as he had told Sasuke, he could not imagine leaving them behind.

Tobi ran after the Akatsuki members, sprinting to catch up with them.

* * *

A/N: So, I wrote a really long story about Tobi a while back ("Musings of an Akatsuki Wannabe") in which he was _not_ Obito, although he did have a bloodline limit and only one functional eye. For this story, I decided to do a completely different take on the character and have him be the presumed-dead Uchiha. I don't think it was ever stated in the manga exactly how Obito was related to Sasuke and Itachi, but I imagined him as their cousin.

The thing Itachi says about the Uchiha having the ability to control demons is based on the ability Sasuke demonstrated to suppress the Kyuubi within Naruto's mind. Itachi's description of how the Uchiha misused that power, leading to the Kyuubi's fateful attack on Konoha, is sort of a pet theory of mine for what Itachi might have discovered about his clan that made him hate them.

I'm starting to get really busy with schoolwork, so I may not be able to update weekly like I've been doing up to this point. I will try not to have the delays be too horrendous, however. The next chapter will be about Kisame, followed by Sasori's chapter (which will be the final one).


	9. Chapter 9

_Chapter 9: Full Circle_

Hoshigaki Kisame grinned as he strode through the Hidden Village of Mist towards the training grounds. Pinned to the front of his green chuunin vest was a pin bearing a special insignia. It was the kanji for the number "seven", and it represented his inclusion in the elite group of shinobi known as the Seven Swordsmen of the Hidden Mist.

The Seven Swordsmen was a group that had been initially formed by the Shodaime Mizukage over two hundred years ago. At the time, it had consisted of the seven most promising young shinobi in the village. Aside from their extraordinary talent, they all had one thing in common: they used bladed weapons to fight. The organization had persisted through the years, with new members being initiated as old ones died or retired. Two weeks ago, one of the current members had perished in a battle with the Stone Village, and the Yondaime Mizukage had just announced that Kisame would be the man's replacement.

Kisame was extremely proud that the Mizukage had conferred this status on him, for more than one reason. It was, of course, a great honor to be named a member of the Seven, especially when one was only a chuunin. But more than that, Kisame had been inducted into the Seven despite his bloodline limit. In most other villages, individuals with advanced bloodlines were elite warriors, honored for their overpowering abilities in battle. They were the most prized soldiers of their countries. But the Water Country had endured almost a decade of civil war that had nearly torn the nation apart, and in this conflict, shinobi with advanced bloodlines had been used as weapons on both sides. As a result, when a truce was finally reached, most ordinary people had a deep suspicion of those who carried special abilities within their genes. While the Mist grudgingly accepted that individuals with advanced bloodlines were necessary if the Mist was to compete effectively with the other shinobi villages, these people were often treated as second-class citizens. Some, of course, had bloodlines that did not manifest in their outward appearance, and could hide their nature. Others, like Kisame, were not so lucky.

Ordinarily, the best that Kisame could hope for was to be tolerated by his fellow shinobi. They weren't stupid, and recognized that his power would help them win battles. As such, they would not actively try to hurt him or get him killed on missions. On the other hand, he could never trust them as completely as a ninja should be able to trust his comrades. Certainly he had never expected to be acknowledged as one of the village's elite soldiers. He fingered the pin on his vest, smiling even more widely.

Arriving at the training grounds, Kisame saw the other members of the Seven sparring there. They ranged in age from about fifty (which was quite old for a ninja; most shinobi didn't live that long) to sixteen. All carried swords of some type: katana, wakizashi, even an exotic broadsword of the type used in the uncharted lands far to the west. And all of them turned to stare at him as he arrived.

"Hoshigaki Kisame-san, welcome. I am Kawasaki Jin, leader of the Seven." A gruff man with grayish hair and a beard streaked with white approached Kisame and bowed stiffly.

"I am honored to be included among your ranks, Jin-senpai," Kisame replied, returning the bow.

"Hey, hey, Jin-senpai! Why are you letting this freak join us?" The youngest of Kisame's new comrades stalked forward, an accusing finger pointed in Kisame's direction. He had unruly dark hair and a muscular build. A mask covered the lower half of his face, obscuring his mouth. Resting on one shoulder was a massive sword, nearly as large as Kisame's own Samehada.

"It is the will of Mizukage-sama that Kisame-san replace our recently fallen comrade. He has proved himself many times in battle, Zabuza-kun."

"Yeah, well, he's still a freak!"

"Hey," Kisame growled, "I may be a freak, but I can kick your ass any day of the week!"

"Oh yeah? Wanna try it, shark-boy?"

Kisame lifted Samehada to a defensive position in front of himself. "Sure, why the hell not?" The bandages fell away from the sword, revealing its many razor-sharp barbs.

"What the hell kind of screwed-up weapon is that?" asked Zabuza sarcastically, before swiping at Kisame with his own blade. It met Samehada with a resounding clang. "Hidden Mist Technique!" Thick fog rose from the ground, obscuring Kisame's vision. He could feel the pressure of Zabuza's sword against Samehada disappear as Zabuza retreated into the mist, but had no way of tracking the other boy's movement.

"Water Needles Technique!" Kisame heard the needles whistling through the air, and brought Samehada up to block. The needles plinked harmlessly off the giant blade, and Kisame grinned because now he knew where Zabuza was. Sprinting through the fog, Kisame saw a dim shape emerging in front of him.

"Underworld Geyser Technique!" Pulling up the water that resided in underground aquifers, Kisame thrust it through the surface of the ground, creating a high-pressure stream of water that could blast an enemy high into the air. Unfortunately, when it hit the other Mist-nin, "Zabuza" burst into a thousand droplets of water. _A water clone!_

"Water Dragon Technique!" From behind Kisame, a torrent of water shaped like the mythical beast for which the jutsu was named rocketed towards him. He spun as quickly as he could, wedging Samehada between the water-beast's jaws. Its barbs rustled as it sucked out the chakra that was animating the water, causing the fluid to collapse into a harmless puddle that did no worse than soak Kisame.

Zabuza was not about to let up on his offensive, however. "Deadly Rain Technique!" Some of the water vapor from the mist that surrounded Kisame condensed, forming a mass of liquid water in the sky above. Then it shaped itself into needles, which rained down onto Kisame's head. _A combination of the Water Needles Technique and the Hidden Mist Technique? Impressive._ But Zabuza wasn't the only one who could find a new use for old jutsus. "Ocean's Shield Technique!" Some of the water that lay around his feet rose up to form a hemisphere that protected him from the water needles Zabuza had created. This was an adaptation of the Water Prison Technique—instead of imprisoning the target, it protected him from attacks.

_Screw this. I need to find where that bastard's hiding._ Kisame closed his eyes and concentrated, releasing a blast of chakra from Samehada. The energy burned away the mist, revealing Zabuza standing to his left about fifteen feet away.

Zabuza's eyes widened. "What?! How did you do that?"

Kisame smirked. "You don't have time to be looking surprised, Zabuza-kun!" He compressed his chakra into a tight ball in his chest, then breathed it out, expanding it and giving it the unique traits of water element chakra as he did so. The result was a high-pressure jet of water that spurted from his mouth and slammed into Zabuza, knocking the other shinobi off his feet. Kisame pressed his advantage, charging towards the fallen ninja and swinging his sword at him. Zabuza hastily raised his own blade to block Samehada. Inch by inch, Kisame forced Samehada ever closer to Zabuza's prone form. Finally, Kisame saw the telltale twitch of Samehada's barbs that indicated the sword was now within reach of Zabuza's chakra. It paused, waiting for his command. _Devour, Samehada-san!_ The living sword ripped away Zabuza's chakra, leaving him helpless, and Kisame pressed the deadly barbs against the other man's neck.

"I…I yield," Zabuza said grudgingly. Without a word, Kisame lifted his sword and extended a hand to help Zabuza to his feet. The younger man turned and walked back towards the watching group of Mist shinobi. When he was about ten feet away, he stopped, and looked back over his shoulder. "Kisame-san."

"What?"

"You may be a freak, but…I wouldn't mind having you watch my back in battle."

Kisame grinned. "And you may be an arrogant kid who slaughtered over 100 people, but I wouldn't mind watching your back."

* * *

Years later, Zabuza and Kisame became discontented with the way the Mizukage and Daimyo of the Mist ran their society. They gathered a group of followers and planned a coup. When it failed, they fled the Mist together. Some time afterward, they went their separate ways. It was many years later when Kisame heard that Zabuza had been killed in a battle with the famous Copy Ninja of the Hidden Leaf. Although he was not the type to mourn over a fallen comrade, he couldn't help feeling a little bit sad about Zabuza's demise. Although their relationship hadn't gotten off to a good start, the Demon of the Hidden Mist eventually became one of the few people who ever showed him any respect. _And 20 years later, I've still got a much younger, mass-murdering partner. Talk about coming full circle._ The thought made him chuckle.

"What amuses you so much?"

"I was just thinking…you may be an arrogant kid who slaughtered over 100 people, but I don't mind watching your back."

"…Hn."

* * *

A/N: Sorry this update took a little longer than usual—I've been really busy with school lately.

The first name of the Seven Swordsmen's leader came from a character from _Lost_ (which I also don't own). God, I love that show.

One more chapter left! The last one will be about Sasori.


	10. Chapter 10

_Chapter 10: Lazarus_

The cave was dark, lit only by torches placed at intervals around its walls. The statue in the center towered over the men who stood below it, waiting. Footsteps echoed through the tunnel leading to the cavern, and another man entered. He carried a body in his arms, which he set down at the statue's feet.

"Are you sure this is going to work, yeah?" the one who carried the body asked.

There was a nod from another figure, taller and broader than all the rest. "The Nibi has powers that allow it to bring a soul back from the Other Side. All that is needed is a body for the soul to inhabit."

"But this body is artificial. Didn't it require a biological core to bind the soul to it, even in life?" This question came from yet another of the shadowy figures. The darkness of the cave masked the blue tint of his skin and the gills on his face.

"That's what that is for," said a fourth man, pointing to a second body that lay on the ground. The dim light of the torches caught the man's crimson eyes, making him look even more unsettling than he normally did. "It used to be a Mist ANBU. It will provide the necessary bit of biological material."

A fifth man stepped forward. His face was entirely obscured by an orange mask with a swirling pattern upon it. "Does this mean I can't be in the Akatsuki anymore?" he asked plaintively.

"No, Tobi-san," the man who had brought in the body reassured him. "Much as it pains me to admit this, you can still take Orochimaru's place, yeah."

The orange-masked man knelt by the side of the dead ANBU, green medical chakra glinting around his hand. With a chakra scalpel, he cut open the corpse's chest and removed the heart, placing it into a cavity within the chest of the other body.

"Very well," said a deep voice from even further back in the shadows. "Hidan-san, the rest is up to you."

Another figure stepped forward, silver head bowed as if in prayer. He faced the statue, and lifted one hand out towards it. A ring on one of his fingers shone with a light that had nothing to do with the torches on the walls, and one of the statue's nine eyes slid open with a creak.

* * *

"_Hey. Hey! Listen up, you overgrown housecat!"_

"_**How dare you speak to me like that, puny mortal!"**_

"_Mortal? Seriously, you must be blinder than Itachi-san. Take a closer look, baka."_

"_**Hmm…not mortal, after all. But still, only a human. Why are you disturbing me?"**_

"_Because one of my dumbass comrades got himself killed, and we need you to bring him back."_

"_**And why should I do that?"**_

"_Hey, I don't wear this goddamn ring because it looks pretty, seriously. It gives me control over your power, and you have to do what I say."_

"_**If I ever get free from here…"**_

"_Yes, yes, if you ever get free from here, you'll tear me limb from limb and kill me in the most agonizingly painful way possible. You've said that before. Except, you know, I _can't_ die, so you'd be wasting your effort. Now will you just stop bitching and do your damn job?"_

"…_**Very well."

* * *

**_

He opened his eyes and saw darkness. He was confused. This place was certainly too dark and cold to be Heaven. But the lack of terrible pain suggested that it wasn't Hell, either. He could sense that there were figures clustered around him, but he could only make out vague outlines in the dim light. He blinked his eyes, twitched his fingers, wiggled his toes. Everything seemed to be in perfect working order. _How is this possible?_

Then a blond head thrust itself into his field of vision, and a deafeningly loud voice shouted in his ear, "Welcome back, Sasori-danna!"

* * *

A/N: Well, here it is: the last chapter and the end of "Brotherhood of the Red Moon." I read somewhere that one of the powers of the Nibi in Japanese legend is that it had the ability to raise the dead. Then I thought, "Hey, the Akatsuki just captured the Nibi jinchuuriki, and they have a deceased member…hmm…" I don't really expect anything like this to happen in the manga, but it would be awesome if it did. I sort of assumed that each member would get control of the bijuu he'd captured himself, hence Hidan being in control of the Nibi.

I had a _lot_ of fun writing this story, and I hope you all had fun reading it. Thanks so much to everyone who's reviewed!


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